I never thought I’d have a food blog – I wasn’t very impressive in the kitchen and everyone who knows me knows I much prefer to have someone else create something amazing than to try to tackle it myself. But then came 2010 and my body shut down, my brain quit working and getting out of bed became a bigger task that I could have ever imagined, and along this auto-immune journey, I’ve had to change my old ways of thinking.

I had to start preparing my own meals so I could be sure to avoid allergic foods, and control the quality of what I was eating. I gave up most of my favorites, and hated life for a while. We discovered the gluten-free, Paleo way of life. We switched from plastic to glass, from non stick to cast iron, and I was now taking more supplements in a day than I used to take in a month. I needed to find a way to love my new (food) life.

Then one day my palette changed, and I learned to love feeling healthy and looking better. I’m more patient now, so taking the time to prepare meals doesn’t drive me nuts like it used to. And I’m actually kind of enjoying the feeling of creating something from scratch that my guys like too. Neither one of them is very good at sugar-coating their thoughts on my dishes, so when I do get something right I love their feedback.

So here’s my attempt at recreating an old favorite – cool whip. It took a few times, and I got the best version when I let the can sit opened in the fridge for 3 nights. I made it on the 4th day, and since I used the same brand and method as I have in the past, I’m confident that was the key step. Oh, and as for the type of coconut milk, grab full fat, organic milk with only milk, water and a stabilizer like guar gum.

Whipped coconut milk lets me make a kick ass dessert that would rival my old fave – Cool Whip. Man, I love it when I get them right!